Amazon.com: Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi (9780231183994): Hans-Georg Moeller, Paul J. D'Ambrosio: Books

Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi (9780231183994): Hans-Georg Moeller, Paul J. D'Ambrosio: Books

Genuine Pretending is an innovative and comprehensive new reading of the Zhuangzi that highlights the critical and therapeutic functions of satire and humor. Hans-Georg Moeller and Paul J. D’Ambrosio show how this Daoist classic, contrary to contemporary philosophical readings, distances itself from the pursuit of authenticity and subverts the dominant Confucianism of its time through satirical allegories and ironical reflections.

With humor and parody, the Zhuangzi exposes the Confucian demand to commit to socially constructed norms as pretense and hypocrisy. The Confucian pursuit of sincerity establishes exemplary models that one is supposed to emulate. In contrast, the Zhuangzi parodies such venerated representations of wisdom and deconstructs the very notion of sagehood. Instead, it urges a playful, skillful, and unattached engagement with socially mandated duties and obligations. The Zhuangziexpounds the Daoist art of what Moeller and D’Ambrosio call “genuine pretending”: the paradoxical skill of not only surviving but thriving by enacting social roles without being tricked into submitting to them or letting them define one’s identity. A provocative rereading of a Chinese philosophical classic, Genuine Pretending also suggests the value of a Daoist outlook today as a way of seeking existential sanity in an age of mass media’s paradoxical quest for originality.

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Editorial Reviews

Review


[The book's] scholarship is first rate and the contribution original and timely. The authors offer genuinely illuminating and original readings of many of the widely discussed parts of the Zhuangzi. (Barry Allen, author of Striking Beauty: A Philosophical Look at the Asian Martial Arts)

A highly insightful new reading of the Zhuangzi that is exceptionally sensitive to both philosophical and textual subtleties, highlighting the key theme of genuine pretending―the adoption of multiple roles while maintaining a form of radical flexibility that prevents full identification, thereby allowing all roles to be at once fulfilled and transcended. (Brook Ziporyn, author of Emptiness and Omnipresence: An Essential Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism)

Without ignoring the many and varied eccentricities found throughout the composite text of the Zhuangzi, D'Ambrosio and Moeller have presented an appropriately contextualized whole that is text-sensitive, highly original, and deeply incisive, satisfying for readers lay and expert alike. It is a new benchmark for the field. (Henry Rosemont, author of Against Individualism: A Confucian Rethinking of the Foundations of Morality, Politics, Family, and Religion)

Genuine Pretending is one of the best books, if not the best book, on the Zhuangzi, since A.C. Graham's analysis of the text in Reason and Spontaneity. The book restores humor to the Zhuangzi. It moreover liberates whole Zhuangzi passages from dense thickets of Buddhist, Christian, and Freudian interpretations. And while I suspect that some of the dividing lines between Confucians and Daoists that Genuine Pretending draws were rather less clear in early China, Genuine Pretending surely constitutes a firmer basis for vigorous debate for years to come. (Michael Nylan, editor of The Norton Critical Edition of “The Analects”)
About the Author


Hans-Georg Moeller is professor of philosophy at the University of Macau. His books include The Philosophy of the Daodejing (2006); The Moral Fool: A Case for Amorality (2009); and The Radical Luhmann (2011), all from Columbia University Press.

Paul J. D’Ambrosio is assistant professor of Chinese philosophy at East China Normal University, where he serves as dean of the Center for Intercultural Research, Teaching, and Translation. He is the coeditor (with Michael Sandel) of Encountering China: Michael Sandel and Chinese Philosophy (2017).


Product details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Columbia University Press (October 17, 2017)

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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Zhuangzi as Subversive Comedy
ByMarked Wayneon October 18, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I confess that I went into this book a skeptic, having been burnt one too many times by scholarship promising some new "hot take" on the Daoist canon—only to find that it's just more of the same trendy deconstructionist pap. Refreshingly, that isn't the case here. The authors are attentive to the historical contexts of the texts, and as such are careful not to ground their arguments in the anachronisms that keep most studies like this from ever reaching liftoff (see, e.g., the fruitless endeavors of the "Daoism-as-Heideggerian-authenticity" school). Even better: the titular concept is actually *useful* for better understanding the Zhuangzi! Imagine that.

But the concept of genuine pretending is not *merely* consonant with the historical texts of the Zhuangzi; even more crucially, it manages to both amplify the points of disagreement between it and its main rival school, Confucianism, while highlighting the rival schools' subtler (but no less important) points of convergence by framing them against the backdrop of the pre–established historical context. Those who teach advanced courses on Chinese thought ought to take note of this strength in particular, since one of the central difficulties involved in teaching such courses is getting the students the nature of Daoist/Confucian relations.

Lastly, while this is without a doubt an academic book, it is not as dry as typical academic publications, stylistically speaking. In keeping with their "humoristic" take on the Zhuangzi, the authors themselves drop the occasional joke or funny observation into the pot, and this serves to make the book significantly less of a chore to read.

In sum, I see this as being a truly *productive* entry into the study of Daoism. By "productive," I mean to say that I can see many of the concepts introduced herein being adopted by the larger community of East Asian scholarship.

I certainly hope they will be, in any case.

5 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Books on the Genuis of Zhuangzi
ByJason Gregory (Author of Fasting the Mind, Enlightenment Now, & The Science and Practice of Humility)on January 15, 2018
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Chinese philosophy (alongside Indian philosophy) is always my central focus because of my dedication to to delivering ancient Eastern thought for modern minds. And when it comes to the ancient Daoist (Taoist) sage Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu) I'll read anything about his philosophy. When people speak about Daoism they often look to Laozi (Lao-tzu) for its gems. But if you have not encountered the genius of Zhuangzi then it is hard to get a complete picture of the depth of Daoism. As soon as I laid my eyes on Genuine Pretending it was immediately on my hit list. And I can tell you that Hans-Georg Moeller and Paul D'Ambrosio did not disappoint. 

They explain how the classic Zhuangzi text is not a one dimensional text. A lot of people believe the text is either a book on metaphysics, spirituality, strategy, or politics. But the authors believe it is all of the above and much more, especially when we take seriously (or not seriously) the humor component of the text. Genuine Pretending goes into the science behind humor and what that has to do with the spiritual depth of the Zhuangzi text. 

They have a thorough study of sincerity and authenticity, and how that relates to Confucian thought and Zhuangzi. This book explains that even though Zhuangzi is criticizing Confucian thought somewhat, he is really poking fun at it because of the sincere people we are supposed to become through high moral values and ideals that Confucius believes we should live up to. Zhuangzi skillfully knows these high rationalistic goals are not possible. Zhuangzi explains that in trying to create sincere people we actually create the opposite. Most importantly they introduce the Genuine Pretender, the joker in the pack, which in their opinion is a state of being Zhuangzi recommends for us to be in if we want to be a healthy and sane individual and live in a healthy and sane world. "A genuine pretender develops a capacity to playfully and skillfully enact social personae by looking at things, including oneself, from a 'zero perspective.'"

2 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
But isn't there MORE?
ByEdward H Russellon December 26, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent piece of academic research and hypothesis formulation, whether you agree with it or not. For it offers a radically secular reading of Zhuangzi. Following the work of Brook Ziporyn, the authors understand Zhuangzi as basing action on an empty heart-mind, where one is free to adopt and "genuinely pretend" to any convenient attitude. This view is grounded in a "mundane understanding" of free wandering (you), which implies that there is a psycho-physical process of emptying that can be carried out and leave one in the state of empty emptiness, an actual existential nothingness bare of all emotions and values.

While this may be possible, most have reported an emptying process that instead of less, leads to an experience of MORE (William James, VRE). This core is beyond names and social values, but carries an immediate and for many a lasting effect that is beyond words (ineffable). It is an “emptiness” that can underwrite, stabilize, and fulfill all future "wild card" wanderings.

In our secular age it is perhaps useful to have a pragmatic view of Zhuangzi. However the authors draw a distinction between "sincerity" in the ancient context, with "authenticity" today, and imply that "genuine pretending" needs to be adapted into a “New Daoism” in order to be effectively used today. They conclude that instead of "sincerity, a contemporary philosophy of genuine pretending would have to react to the paradoxes and absurdities of an age of authenticity."

I hope we can look forward to the development of this new philosophical daosim in a future volume. In the meantime enjoy this very satisfying wander – actually more of a romp – through the wild and hilarious world of Zhuangzi.

2 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A new standard in Zhuangzi scholarship
ByFrank Saunderson October 20, 2017
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This book is one of the most ambitious, comprehensive, and scholarly rigorous reconstructions of Zhuangist thought to date. I have no doubt it will become a standard among scholars and students of Daoist thought. Moeller and D'Ambrosio expertly follow the thread of "zhenuine" pretending throughout the *Zhuangzi* text, and craft a not only a plausible approach to and reading of the text, but also the philosophical foundations for a truly enjoyable way of living. Many have much to learn from this book.

3 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This book does what every book should do: present ...
ByCorneliaon December 9, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book does what every book should do: present at least one, clear, original, well defended idea. This one has (at least) two. 1) the notion that "genuine pretending" rather than "authenticity" is a value in the ZZ, and 2) that the ZZ is a much more humorous book than is generally realized. Each of these theses are defended very well. Does this exhaust the ZZ? Of course not! But our understanding is far richer for having received this fresh take.

One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Scholarship on the Zhuangzi
ByChinese Buddhism Scholaron June 1, 2018
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This book is easily the best book that has been written on the philosophy of the Zhuangzi. It weaves the Inner and Outer Chapters into a coherent and intelligent whole. I think it is safe to say that Academia and Chinese Philosophy really needed a book like this. Moeller pretty much sets a new standard for scholarship on Chinese Philosophy.

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5.0 out of 5 stars
Historically contextualized, contemporarily relevant reading of Zhuangzi
Bygene o'neillon November 13, 2017
Format: Paperback

Moeller and D'Ambrosio present Zhuangzi's philosophy as "emerging from a critical (and often humorous) assessment of Confucianism." The early Confucians devised an ethical system that was dependent on the performance of social roles: father, son, ruler, minister, and so on. They demand that agents not merely "perform" these roles, but enact them with sincerity and emotional commitment. On the positive side, this demand is meant to ensure that we don't just go through the motions of our roles, but do so with our heart in the right place, so to speak. In reality, however, it results in much duplicity and hypocrisy on the part of Confucian practitioners. The task of the Zhuangzi, on the authors' view, is to expose this downside of Confucian morality through humorous critique.
Moeller and D'Ambrosio's reading of Zhuangzi accomplishes two important and difficult-to-reconcile tasks for any interpreter. First, they understand Zhuangzi in relation to other classical Chinese philosophies, and support this reading through traditional sources within the Chinese tradition. For instance, they note that their understanding of Zhuangzi's critique of Confucius is reflected in how the text was originally understood in the Han dynasty. Secondly, they manage to make Zhuangzi relevant to the contemporary scene, though in a way that has not quite been done before. Rejecting attempts to understand the text as many scholars before them have done, through notions of "authenticity" derived from Heidegger and others, they nonetheless find a "subversive existential mode" in Zhuangzi that allows one to get along in the world by developing a humorous attitude towards oneself and one's surroundings.

One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 starsHighly recommended work
ByDaniel Sarafinason November 26, 2017
Format: Paperback
Genuine Pretending is a refreshingly philosophic reading of the Zhuangzi. Not only is it sinologically well founded and philosophically stimulating, but it is very well written and is a compelling read. Hans-Georg Moeller and Paul J. D'ambrosio have created a perspective on the Zhuangzi which will be used by students of the Zhuangzi in the future, but unlike many texts about Chinese philosophy, should also be used as a resource for those interesting in understanding the different identity paradigms based on which we make so many of our judgements about ourselves and the world. Taking Brook Ziporyn's joker card metaphor as a jumping off point, the authors give full bodied explication of some of the problems that arise with various conceptions of the self that have existed in both the west and China, and then present a very textually coherent interpretation the Zhuangzi's way out of these problems in which one can be fully authentic in playing social roles without falling into the trap of identifying these roles with a constant, continuous self. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Zhuangzi and anyone interested in uncovering those aspects of our worldview which lay beneath our consciousness until they are exposed by the Plato's and Zhuangzi's of the world.

One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 starsA good read!
ByLidia Tammaroon October 14, 2017
Format: Paperback
A really interesting interpretation of the Zhuangzi. Moeller and D'Ambrosio start with the Zhuangzi as mainly representing a response to Confucian ideas, and, based on the importance of roles and centrality of sincerity in Confucianism, read the Zhuangzi. But probably most interestingly they introduce an entirely new way to think about identity with the idea of Genuine Pretending--which I understand as meaning that we can enter into different roles in life without being limited by them. A good read!

3 people found this helpful